


PINKLINKING

by jestingjokers



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:53:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26356777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jestingjokers/pseuds/jestingjokers
Summary: A strange phenomena that seemed to have no rhyme or purpose beyond the basics. First, a student at a local high school would go missing. Then weeks, sometimes months later, a text message from a classmate would arrive bearing one question:"HAVE YOU SEEN THIS CHILD?"
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	PINKLINKING

**Author's Note:**

> long time no see! that's all i have to say
> 
> this is based off a dream i had once

There's been a rumor in the air as of late.

A strange phenomena that seemed to have no rhyme or purpose beyond the basics.

First, a student at a local high school would go missing. Then weeks, sometimes months later, a text message from a classmate would arrive bearing one question:

"HAVE YOU SEEN THIS CHILD?"

...and then a link accompanying it shortly afterwards. It was no link that linked to a virus or ten million dollars or even A FREE IPHONE TO THE 100TH VISITOR?! Instead, it was a short video that detailed the missing student dying or on the verge of, the frames jumbled and disjointed, completely out of order, startling in its choppiness.

Tracing these messages only revealed burner phones, shattered and abandoned in a dumpster, similar to the body they had exposed so cruelly.

There was a name for this phenomena.

It was called 'PINKLINKING'.

—

"...Well, supposedly. For all we know, these videos could be faked."

The deep voice of his uncle was hard to miss. Each of his words were spoken clearly, enunciated perfectly, something Saihara sorely wish he had. Even if the way he spoke was commanding, there was another reason it was so hard to tune this out, his own gripping vice: curiosity.

A moment of silence followed after, broken only by the buzz of inaudible squabble on the phone.

"...None of the reported students have been found yet." Paperwork was doing little to divert his attention. Each time he turned his eyes down and started to write, his pen would always trail off, characters turning loose underneath his fingertips. "As of right now, we have no leads either. Hmm..."

As his uncle creaked back in his seat, Saihara picked up his stack of papers with numb hands. The dining room might be a little quieter. He shouldn't pay heed to such conjecture, after all, rumors were just rumors and no better than gossip...

...if only someone from his school didn't go missing last week.

—

Even when the world swayed underneath his feet, mundanity would live on, and people will still go about their day the best they could. The cool rail underneath his fingertips was familiar, bringing some comfort to his heavy shoulders. His mind spun with thoughts— PINKLINKING, Saihara-kun, what a ridiculous name, that person he's only seen a few times before, Saihara-kun? Though maybe it was all just some cruel teen prank—

"SAIHARA-KUN!"

A horrible yelp tore itself from his throat as quickly as he was torn out of his thoughts, panicked gold eyes meeting brilliant pink. The voice being familiar did little to ease his nerves, unable to speak until the peering eyes of strangers finally turned away. A sigh summoned itself from the recesses of his chest, the yell of his name still ricocheting around his skull. "Akamatsu-san, you really shouldn't raise your voice like that..."

His blonde companion pouted. He was sure she would cross her arms if not for the grab rail. "I've said your name a million times already! You had the 'I'm worrying over something small again' look on your face."

"Ugh..." Perceptive as always. Or maybe he was just obvious...

"What's wrong?" Irritation gave way to concern on Akamatsu's face, her features softening. They both knew she only cared about his wellbeing and they both knew that Saihara could fullwell get ahead of himself.

"Well..." He cleared his throat. Somehow, something told him giving away confidential information he overheard wouldn't end well for him. Saihara's eyes dropped to the floor, where sunlight bled in through the window and cast soft shapes on the floor. "...erm, have you heard of the missing people?" It was simple enough. People went missing all the time...

"You mean like those highschool students?" It shouldn't be a surprise to him. Kaede Akamatsu was a well known name at their school. She must've heard a whisper or two from the grapevine. "Yeah, but I don't really know much outside of 'they're missing'." Her lips grew taut in thought. "There are those rumors about the texts..."

"They could be rumors for all we know."

"That's what I thought too..." The conversation slowed to a halt. When the silence was broken again, it was by Akamatsu, her cheerful tone melting away any tension. "You shouldn't really worry about all of that! I mean, unless you were assigned a case?"

"No, I wasn't..." That was the truth. Everything Saihara had heard was merely that; heard. He had no files nor intel, as his work was often overseen by his uncle's watchful eye. This missing persons case in particular had been, ironically, missing from the stacks of paper that would be handed off to him.

Before Saihara could drift off into his own world again, Akamatsu's voice was there to carry him back to reality. "I'm sure the police will find something out soon! The criminal is bound to mess up somewhere, you know?"

The talk after that eased into the idle chatter Saihara was more accustomed to. Still, even with her assurances, he had questions that itched at the back of his skull, begging to be answered.

_Ping!_

Alarm shot through him, head jerking down to look at his phone.

_Kaito Momota: ay shubro! looks like ill be getting to school early today!!_   
_Kaito Momota: let's hang!_

Relief crashed over him like a wave, easing the tension out of his body. Never before had he been so glad to receive a text from Momota. As his thumbs tapped away at the screen, he could hear Akamatsu's giggles, her grin in the corner of his eyes. Faint embarrassment rushed through him. He shouldn't have been so quick to assume some silly urban legend was true...

_Shuichi Saihara: i'm on the train right now, but sure._   
_Kaito Momota: lets meet at the entrance!_

Momota sure liked his exclamation points...

_Shuichi Saihara: yeah, of course!_

He felt like he'd never be able to match his level of enthusiasm. "Momota-kun was just telling me he wanted to meet up at school," he started, tucking his phone away into his pocket.

"Really? You weren't sent some weird text just now?" Though her smile was innocent, the glint in her eye was painfully obvious. His classmate laughed shortly after, proving it was all just a tease at his expense.

When their chatter about Momota melted away into relaxed silence, Saihara found his mind wandering once more.

The train tracks clattered underneath his feet.

—

"I have to go to the bathroom."

His announcement was abrupt. That much was clear to him when he saw the faint surprise in his friends eyes. The little camaraderie they had formed was a comfortable one: Akamatsu and Momota were, well, the 'popular' ones, while he and Harukawa moreso kept to themselves.

"Hey, if you need any help, just lemme know!" Momota flashed him a thumbs up. When confusion grew to faint horror, he was quick to correct himself. "Not like that! Yeesh, I mean, I can always get the nurse if it comes to worst." The realization that he couldn't salvage this clearly settling in, he groaned. "...Just text me."

"...Right," Saihara pulled the brim of his cap down, avoiding anyone that may have overheard. "Thanks."

As soon as Saihara set off from his friends, his careful eyes started to scan the crowd. Today, too, he wasn't here, not even in the more remote parts of campus. Dust hung heavy in the air, though no one was here in this dark corner.

Even if this person had only really lingered in the corners of Saihara's vision, he had always been there during lunch. That person was still odd enough to stand out in his mind. Something about the poise, something about the way he blended in, something about his eyes...

...the way they were staring straight into his.

**MISSING PERSON ******

_NAME: Kokichi Ouma  
AGE: 18  
HEIGHT: 156CM  
WEIGHT: 46KG  
if u kno where he is plEEEEEES report!!!_

The paper was fresh, pinned to the wall with red thumbtacks. It was no official document either: the text looked like a default font that would come with a free document app. Not even to mention the text at the bottom clearly being handma

_Ping!_

He glanced down at his phone.

_Tsumugi Shirogane: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS CHILD?_

_Ping!_

There was a link.

—

_Shuichi Saihara: akamatsu-san  
Kaede Akamatsu: Hey! What's up?  
Shuichi Saihara: do you remember that guy whod always hang out at lunch from school  
Shuichi Saihara: wild purple hair, purple eyes, almost always wore white? short? thin?  
Kaede Akamatsu: You mean straitjacket guy? Lol  
Shuichi Saihara: huh?  
Kaede Akamatsu: Didn't you hear? He's kindof a straggler. He doesn't even go to this school  
Kaede Akamatsu: Why'd you ask?  
Shuichi Saihara: just curious_

**Author's Note:**

> to be honest, i'm not really sure if i'll continue this fic. it was mostly just something i decided to write down on impulse at 1-4am lol
> 
> i guess it depends on interest. also would love overall feedback!


End file.
